Residential school survivor fundraises to build monument for Mohawk Institute kids

News Jun 16, 2021 by Kate McCullough Hamilton Spectator

Residential school survivor Geronimo Henry has a dream: to build a memorial wall on the grounds of the former residential school where he spent more than a decade of his childhood.

“The kids should be honoured with their names on a monument here outside the building,” said Henry, 84. “That’s my dream.”

Through a GoFundMe campaign, Henry hopes to raise $50,000 to erect a wall etched with the names of the children who attended the former Mohawk Institute, one of the country’s oldest and longest-running residential schools.

“A lot of the kids that were at the school ... can’t even talk about their experiences there,” he said. “I kind of talk for these people that can’t talk about it and mostly talking for the ones that have passed on already.”

Henry said they’ve gathered about 1,500 names to date, but will add to the list as survivors and their families come forward. Details, including design and location, will be decided once they’ve secured the funds.

Campaign organizer Jodie Williams, co-chair of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Association of Ontario, said the project is a step toward “creating a more informed society” and reversing the “intentional erasure of information and education.”

The campaign was launched June 8, shortly after the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia.

“We can’t even bury our own children or give them ... proper acknowledgments,” Williams said. “So part of this initiative is to get those names (public) because it’s part of the humanizing process.”

Residential school survivor fundraises to build monument for Mohawk Institute kids

Geronimo Henry, who spent 11 years at the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, is fundraising to create a monument commemorating the residential school’s survivors

News Jun 16, 2021 by Kate McCullough Hamilton Spectator

Residential school survivor Geronimo Henry has a dream: to build a memorial wall on the grounds of the former residential school where he spent more than a decade of his childhood.

“The kids should be honoured with their names on a monument here outside the building,” said Henry, 84. “That’s my dream.”

Through a GoFundMe campaign, Henry hopes to raise $50,000 to erect a wall etched with the names of the children who attended the former Mohawk Institute, one of the country’s oldest and longest-running residential schools.

“A lot of the kids that were at the school ... can’t even talk about their experiences there,” he said. “I kind of talk for these people that can’t talk about it and mostly talking for the ones that have passed on already.”

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Henry said they’ve gathered about 1,500 names to date, but will add to the list as survivors and their families come forward. Details, including design and location, will be decided once they’ve secured the funds.

Campaign organizer Jodie Williams, co-chair of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Association of Ontario, said the project is a step toward “creating a more informed society” and reversing the “intentional erasure of information and education.”

The campaign was launched June 8, shortly after the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia.

“We can’t even bury our own children or give them ... proper acknowledgments,” Williams said. “So part of this initiative is to get those names (public) because it’s part of the humanizing process.”

Residential school survivor fundraises to build monument for Mohawk Institute kids

Geronimo Henry, who spent 11 years at the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, is fundraising to create a monument commemorating the residential school’s survivors

News Jun 16, 2021 by Kate McCullough Hamilton Spectator

Residential school survivor Geronimo Henry has a dream: to build a memorial wall on the grounds of the former residential school where he spent more than a decade of his childhood.

“The kids should be honoured with their names on a monument here outside the building,” said Henry, 84. “That’s my dream.”

Through a GoFundMe campaign, Henry hopes to raise $50,000 to erect a wall etched with the names of the children who attended the former Mohawk Institute, one of the country’s oldest and longest-running residential schools.

“A lot of the kids that were at the school ... can’t even talk about their experiences there,” he said. “I kind of talk for these people that can’t talk about it and mostly talking for the ones that have passed on already.”

Related Content

Henry said they’ve gathered about 1,500 names to date, but will add to the list as survivors and their families come forward. Details, including design and location, will be decided once they’ve secured the funds.

Campaign organizer Jodie Williams, co-chair of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Association of Ontario, said the project is a step toward “creating a more informed society” and reversing the “intentional erasure of information and education.”

The campaign was launched June 8, shortly after the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia.

“We can’t even bury our own children or give them ... proper acknowledgments,” Williams said. “So part of this initiative is to get those names (public) because it’s part of the humanizing process.”